


Getting Ready

by Seakays



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff with a teeny tiny ( you have to squint to see it ) angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22695274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seakays/pseuds/Seakays
Summary: If Draco Malfoy is her boyfriend, why is Hermione Granger going to the Valentine’s Gala alone?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 29
Kudos: 128
Collections: Strictly Dramione Valentine’s Day Fic Exchange Fest





	Getting Ready

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BreathOfThePhoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreathOfThePhoenix/gifts).



> I need to express my never ending gratitude to mcal for her words of encouragement, and to Ravenslight for taming my tenses, corralling my commas, and perfecting my punctuation. You are both so wonderful to take on Alpha and Beta duties for a newbie Dramione writer. 
> 
> Your kindness and understanding mean more than you will ever know.
> 
> Further thanks to LadyKenz who answered the plea of the artistically challenged and in the matter of moments created an absolutely brilliant cover page. She truly is magical.
> 
> Thanks to the administrators at Strictly Dramione for organizing such a fun fest. 
> 
> I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe. I am just playing with JK Rowling’s characters for a bit.
> 
> My prompt words were - daisy, robe, cellar and pie
> 
> All canon characters, plots, dialogue and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work.

Throwing the door to her flat open, Hermione shrugged out of her white Healer robes, and risked a quick glance at the clock in her kitchen. She had exactly thirty minutes to shower and get herself party ready for the gala she was attending with Blaise and Ginny. The Valerian Victory Valentine’s Fundraiser was the hottest ticket in Wizarding England, and she was thrilled that her work schedule finally allowed her the opportunity to attend. She had almost been derailed by a couple cases of broken bones, the result of a rogue bludger at a junior Quidditch match, but she had been able to beg a junior healer to monitor the final stages of the skele-gro, and leave relatively on time.

Jumping out of the shower, Hermione heard the rhythmic tapping of what could only be an owl at her kitchen window. Twisting her hair up into her bath towel, Hermione was not surprised to see Daisy, Blaise and Ginny’s toffee-coloured saw-whet owl peering nervously from the window ledge. Daisy was a brave little bird but was very leery of Bracken, Hermione’s Bengal kitten, who loved to chase her every time she delivered her parchments. 

“Don’t worry, sweet girl,” Hermione cooed as she opened the window. “Bracken is outside prowling for the voles in the garden.” Taking the time to grab some of her homemade pumpkin owl treats for Daisy, Hermione opened the flamboyantly decorated missive from Blaise and Ginny.

_Hey there, heavenly healer. I know you are most definitely running late and absolutely did not have time to shop for a new gown, and my darling girl insists you are not going to wear that pink monstrosity you wore to Potter’s wedding, so I – well we – have a surprise for you, and it will be arriving in one…two…three…_

  
As soon as Hermione read the word three, her parcel charm went off, notifying her of an item arriving at her front door. Five years ago, Hermione would have been mortally offended by anyone buying her anything, let alone clothes, but she had learned that spending money on his friends was simply Blaise’s love language.

The theme for the Valentines’ Gala was pink, red and white, and each attendee was expected to dress in one of these colours. White looked atrocious with her colouring, and she always felt that red was too on the nose for a Gryffindor, which was why she defaulted to the only pink thing she owned. Half excited and still a bit annoyed at Blaise for spending money on her, she opened the largest box to reveal the most stunning pink gown she had ever seen. It was a deep dusty rose, off the shoulder with a simple v neck bodice. The skirt fell in soft pleats to the floor, and had a thigh high slit on the right side. The waist was highlighted by an elegant satin and crystal belt. Beautifully made, the gown was sophisticated, classy and subtly sexy. Levitating the dress onto a hanger, Hermione opened the rest of the parcels. Nestled in the second package was a pair of strappy sandals almost as stunning as the dress. Hermione gasped when she saw the Manalo Blahnik Leva sandals she had been secretly coveting for months. As much as she loved these pretties, she could never justify spending close to nine hundred pounds on them. Of course, Blaise with his seemingly unlimited funds had no such issues. As she slipped them on her feet and stood to admire them in her mirror, any thoughts of chastising Blaise for his overspending quickly faded away. 

Inside the last package were a pair of soft pink knickers that would work perfectly with the dress. Knowing these sexy little knickers were from Ginny, Hermione was not surprised to find a note from her best girlfriend. 

_Doc,  
I bought these with a certain blond in mind.  
I know he’s not coming tonight, but maybe one day  
he can help you remove them._

_Love ya,  
Gin_

Hermione sighed as she let her thoughts drift to the “certain blond” Ginny had referenced. No one was more surprised than Hermione at how well she and Draco Malfoy got along and how well suited they were. With Harry marrying Pansy and Ginny dating Blaise, the last few years had meant a lot more Slytherins making their way into her inner orbit, and out of all of them, Hermione found herself continually drawn to Draco. They were both highly intelligent, driven people who were intensely private and loyal to the ones they loved. Hermione knew the Malfoys had spent the better part of the last decade rebuilding the Malfoy name, with Draco being solely responsible for the philanthropic direction Malfoy Enterprises had taken. 

When Draco and Astoria found themselves young parents right out of Hogwarts, Draco had started The Scorpius Foundation, an organization that provided care and education for the many children who had been left orphans after the war. Hermione was among the few healer trainees who volunteered to provide regular checkups for the children, and after she gained her full healer designation, she became the healer in charge for the foundation. 

Astoria kept herself and young Scorpius well out of the public eye, and when she died suddenly of a blood disorder three years ago, Draco had moved Scorpius and his parents to a manor in Ennis, a magical community in County Clare, Ireland. Draco retained a flat in Ottery St. Catchpole for business during the week, returning to Ireland each weekend. 

While Astoria was alive, Hermione and Draco interacted almost exclusively at the foundation, and she quickly learned that time and fatherhood had mellowed the rougher edges of the man, allowing the best of him to shine through. Drawn to each other’s passion and intellect, a friendship evolved, and against her best judgement, Hermione began to find him incredibly appealing. 

Then Harry and Pansy surprised the entire wizarding world with their engagement announcement, and their social calendars also became intertwined. With Astoria choosing to remain in Ireland most of the time, Hermione became Draco’s plus one to almost every pre-wedding event. There were some foggy insinuations that their friendship was more carnal in nature, but the heavy hand of the Malfoys had squashed any innuendo immediately.

After “Hansy’s” wedding – as the press had unfortunately dubbed them - Astoria had taken sick, and it was only a few weeks before she passed. Hermione was heartbroken for Draco and the little blond boy she had met only a handful of times as an infant. Draco had removed himself from most of his foundation obligations for months after Astoria’s death, only coming to the city for the occasional coffee update from Hermione. It was here, hidden in the cellar of the Scorpius Foundation, that Draco truly allowed himself to grieve the loss of his wife, and start to move forward. 

When Ginny and Blaise moved in together, Draco started to emerge from his self-imposed exile, and after about a year of attending all the parties, gatherings, and events the two massive extroverts continually planned, Draco had asked Hermione on a date. It was over a delicious bumble berry pie topped with the most incredible vanilla bean ice cream that Hermione had tumbled head over heels into love. 

The last eight months had been blissful for Hermione. Draco was everything she ever wanted in a boyfriend and more. He was ridiculously attentive, well mannered, devastatingly funny, and he kissed her like she was the most precious gemstone on the planet. He had enormous respect for her career and never complained when a last minute call meant she was often late or even missed an event entirely. It was a surprise to everyone, Hermione included, that they had not become intimate, but every time she suggested she was amenable to more, he pulled back. Hermione knew that he was just being cautious, determined to protect Scorpius from the possibility of them not working out. 

Hermione tried to be patient, aware she was dating a widower with a young child, but in the last two weeks, she could feel Draco pulling away even more, and it hurt bitterly. He had tried to assuage her worries, assuring her he was just busy, but Hermione was starting to fear that he was growing tired of her and her crazy hours and would never see her as a serious option as a wife or a caregiver for his son. Desperate for answers, she had confided her concerns to Blaise and Ginny. Blaise had scoffed at her issues, assuring her that Draco was over the moon, the stars and all the goddamned constellations about her, but Ginny hadn’t been so sure. A little unnerved that her usually positive friend was reluctant to tell her everything was fine, when Draco told her that he wouldn’t be attending the Valentine’s fundraiser three days earlier, the couple had their first fight. Or, Hermione reflected bitterly, it would have been a fight if he had actually fought. Instead where she was angry and loud, he was unnaturally calm and quiet. When she had asked what possibly was so important that he was leaving her dateless on Valentine’s Day, he had looked down his nose at her, sneering that “He had a child, something she seemed to forget.” 

Hermione was shocked silent, not only from his derisive tone, but also because she always included an invitation to Scorpius in everything they did. It was always Draco who refused the offers, insisting he was not ready to have them meet. Hermione felt that she had been very understanding, but Draco’s accusation that she was not sensitive to the fact that he had a child– it was just too much, and she had turned on her heel and walked out of his office. 

Less than an hour later, she received a stunning bouquet of hyacinths, orchids and tulips, along with a note written in his elegant handwriting. Hermione flipped it open, her heart skipping a beat at the words inside.

_Forgive me?_  
_-Draco_

Hermione didn’t have to consult her most recent Herbology text to know that each of these flowers represented forgiveness. She also didn’t have to consult with anyone to know that she was going to forgive Draco, but she did make him sweat a bit as she waited five hours before finally sending an owl back that was equally as short.

_Always,  
-Hermione_

They hadn’t spoken either in person or via owl since then, and although they were no longer fighting, she still was unsettled and dateless to the gala. Fortunately, Blaise and Ginny were happy to arrive with her, Blaise smirking wickedly when he told her that he had no problem having people think he was having a threesome with a smoking hot quidditch player and a sexy healer. 

Trying to put her worries about Draco aside, Hermione vowed that she was going to get dressed in the ridiculously beautiful dress and shoes and have a good time with all of her friends. Charming her hair into an artfully tousled updo, Hermione then concentrated on her makeup, using all the techniques Pansy has spent hours getting her to perfect. Satisfied with her appearance, she quickly finished getting dressed and with two minutes to spare apparated to her pre-determined meeting spot. 

Hermione was surprised when she didn’t immediately see Blaise or Ginny, as her redheaded friend was a stickler for timeliness. Smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles in her dress, Hermione rotated carefully on her heels, looking for the striking pair. On her second rotation, and getting a little put out at having to wait outside with all the press looking on, Hermione saw something that stole every breath in her lungs.

Standing before her, each holding one perfect, red rose, were Draco, and someone who could only be Scorpius Malfoy. Both Malfoys were dressed in immaculate white dress robes, keeping to the colour scheme of the gala. It had been a while since Hermione had seen even a picture of Scorpius, so she was surprised at how tall the eight year-old had gotten and how much he resembled his father. Everything from his platinum locks to his slender frame screamed Malfoy, but his light blue eyes and huge open smile was definitely his mothers. 

Lifting a hand to her chest and pressing hard to calm her erratically beating heart, Hermione concentrated on that wide welcoming smile and bent down to talk to her boyfriend’s son.

“You must be this Scorpius fellow your father has prattled on about? “ Casting her eyes to Draco, she continued, “He does indeed look like he is going to be a force on the Quidditch pitch, Draco. I bet he will be a better seeker than you by the time he’s a second year.”

Watching Scorpius beam, Hermione knew she had said the right thing. At a nudge from his father, Scorpius held out the rose to Hermione.

“How do you do, Miss Hermione? And no matter what my Dad has been saying, I don’t want to be a seeker. I want to be a keeper.” 

Glancing up at his father, Scorpius smiled at him, continuing in a quieter voice, “Dad, I thought you said she was _nice_? She is way better than nice, she looks like a fairy princess.” 

Draco rolled his eyes at his son, blushing slightly, “Son, I told you that _privately_. But you aren’t wrong Miss Hermione is indeed stunning.”

Laughing at the two gorgeous Malfoys, Hermione linked her arm with Draco, and was ridiculously pleased when Scorpius reached for her hand, and as she walked into the gala, she laughed and said, “Scorpius, you brilliant boy, I think we definitely need to talk, and you must tell me every single thing your Dad has ever said about me.”

Scorpius’s answering laugh and Draco’s loud groan were the last things the correspondents from _The Daily Prophet_ heard before the doors closed tightly on the Valentine’s gala.


End file.
